If there is one position that has been criticized this offseason from the Philadelphia Eagles fan base, it's at safety.
Reed Blankenship's departure left a massive hole at the position, with so many questions about what the Eagles can do about it. ESPN NFL analyst Aaron Schatz revealed that safety was the biggest roster hole for the Eagles, but offered simple solutions for addressing it with players on the team.
"Andrew Mukuba had an excellent rookie season at one safety position, but the Eagles have questions at the other with Reed Blankenship gone. The starter penciled in is Marcus Epps, who started four games last season after returning to the Eagles following two seasons with Las Vegas. If Epps were hurt, the Eagles might have to use a converted cornerback such as Michael Carter II or Jonathan Jones, or perhaps J.T. Gray. Gray is a former All-Pro special teams gunner, but he didn't play a defensive snap in the 2025 regular season."
Do the Eagles even have their 2026 starting strong safety on the current roster?
There's no question about Mukuba being one of the starters in 2026 at safety despite the broken ankle he suffered in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys last year. He has shown some good signs that he can be the long-term solution there, but it's all about finding the other guy.
Epps is the easiest choice to be the other starter after the job he did last year, when he replaced Mukuba. If anyone has earned the job, it's Epps, as he played well late in the year to keep that position from being a complete disaster.
Gray is an interesting name to bring up, as he has been elite on special teams, but hasn't done much on defense in his career. The Eagles are probably better off holding off on putting him on the field.
Carter is the one who might make the most sense to compete with Epps for the job. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has looked at Carter as more of a safety than a nickel, so he would have a legit shot at starting.
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There are other options on the team, but Eagles fans would probably prefer them to look on the outside for a proven starter to come in. If they can't bring one on, they might be stuck with what they got, but it could be a lot worse.
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